Secondary battery



(No Model.)

F. O. NORTON. SECONDARY BATTERY.

No. 499,848. Patented June 20, 1893.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED OTTO NORTON, OF OROVILLE, CALIFORNIA.

SECON DARY BATTERY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 499,848, dated June 20,1893.

Application filed May 2 (i l 8 9 Z.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED OTTO NORTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oroville,in the county of Butte and State of California,have invented a new and useful Secondary Battery, of which the followingis a specication.

This invention relates to secondary batteries; and it has for its objectto provide an improved secondary or storage battery which shall be soconstructed as to be readily and fully charged, while at the same timeso constructed as .to readily discharge the current in quantitiesregulated to suit requirements.

To this end the main and primary object of the invention is to generallyimprove upon the construction of secondary or storage cells.

"With these and many other objects in view which will readily appear asthe nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists inthe novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinaftermore fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawingsz-Figure l is a perspective view of abatteryconstructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a verticallongitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a diagrammaticviewillustrating the cell and switch and coil connections. Fig. a is adetail sectional View of a modification of the cell.

Referring to the accompanying drawings;- A represents a closed hollowglass or. porcelain cylinder, provided with the upper and lowerencircling annular flanges B, and the top and bottom centralperfor-ations O, located in the upper and lower ends of said cylinder.Within the top of the glass or porcelain cylinder A is placed the uppercopper disk D, iitting the interior of said cylinder and provided with acentral projecting contact teat or plug d closely fitting within theupper central perforation in the top of the cylinder A, and connected bythe conducting wire d', with the binding post d2 forming one terminal ofthe battery. Directly opposite the upper copper disk D and tting tightlyin the bottom of the cylinder A is the lower iron disk E, also providedwith a connecting teat or plug e, closely tting inthe lower perforationof the cylinder to form an air tight Serial No. 434,470. (No model.)

joint and connected by the connecting wire e with the binding post c2forming the other terminal of the battery. Centrally between the upperand lower metallic disk is interposed the central separating wire screenor perforated plate F resting on the inner annular shoulder f, formedintegral with and within the glass cylinder. The said separating screensupports the upper stratum G of the sub-oxide of copper, which is placedwithin the cylinder in contact with the upper copper disk or plate in adry and porous condition, while below the central division diaphragm F,and in contact with the lower iron contact plate E is the lower stratumG', of sodium hydrate placed in the cylinder in a partly dry or pastycondition. Although cuprous oxide and sodium hydrate are employed tocause the requisite chemical action within the battery, nevertheless itwill oe readily seen that various similar substances maybe substitutedtherefor without departing from the spirit of this invention for anysuitable hydrous or hydrated alkali oxide combined with an anhydrousmetallic oxide may be used, Where the metal of one has strong affinityfor the oxygen it contains, while the other substance employed has butslight afiinity therefor, so that when under an electric current,theoxygen is taken from the metal having the strongest affinity for thesame and transferred to that having weaker afiinity for the same. Theoxygen will quickly return to that having the strongest aliinity, whenthe conditions which originally released the same have been removed. Theoxides of sodium, lithium, potassium, ttc., may therefore be used forone part of the battery while the oxides of lead or copper, or platinumsponge or black, doc., for the other part of the battery.

between the upper and lower flanges B of the same are the separateresistance coils H, wound therearound so as to provide for offering` theproper resistance to the distributed current from the battery, andtherefore evenly modifying and regulating the proper distribution of thecurrent by presenting variable resistances te the current when the cellis discharging. The ends of each coil H are connected alternately toopposite switch Surrounding the hollow glass cylinder A IOO plates orblocks I, arranged upon the wooden top of the cell and insulated fromeach to form the main switch J, while between the parallel blocks orplates and between those ot each set I are termed the plugopenings K,which receive To more fully control and regulate the discharge of thebattery a supplemental or auxiliary switch N is interposed in thecircuit. The switch N is provided with a lower fixed switch plate or rodO, which is connected by the wire o with the binding post c2 connectedwith one of the cell wires, and arising from said iixed switch rod are aseries of switch wires P each of which is connected at its upper end toone of the series of switch plates insulated from each other andsupporting the sectional sliding switch bar R. The said sliding switchbar comprises the opposite members r insulated from each therand slidover the series of switch plates, and each ot said switch bars areconnected bythe wires S with one of the switch binding posts of thecoils switch, respectively, so that according to the position that thebars roceupy over the switch plates Q, and according tothe number ofsaid plates either of said bars are in contact with or cover, verylittle, none, or any strength of current is passed to the coils switchand through the coils, in order to accurately control the discharge fromthe cell. The said cell may be charged through the wires T and Uconnected with the binding post cl2 and one ot the binding posts M ofthe switch J, and when discharging, the same wires may be connected witha series of electric lights V as illustrated in Fig. 2 or with a motorlV as illustrated in the diagrammatic View according to the use in whichthe battery is placed, or when charging the same, is connected with agenerator XV similar to the connection shown in said diagrammatic view.

In charging the cell the current in passing into the same, decom posesthe caustic soda or other alkali within the same, and causes the oxygenand hydrogen thereof to be transferred to the copper salt, producing ahydrated oxide of copper and leaving metallic sodium. After the cell hasbeen completely charged so that the exchange of elements therein iscompleted, the cell is ready to be discharged. Vhen discharging, thegreat affinity of the alkali metal comes into play and withdraws itslost elements from the copper or other metal, and causes a reversechemical reaction to set in which immediately produces the current fromthe cell, which passing through the switches and the coilssurroundingtlie cell, it desired may be controlled in amount by thevarying resistances in said coils.

In the modification of thecellillustrated in Fig. 4, instead ofemploying a single stratum of the alkali and other metallic salt, Ithere employ an alternate series of such strata as illustrated at X insaid ligure, in which construction I of course interpose a series ofdiaphragm plates X', to correspond to the plate F already described, andby such construction of battery the capacity of the same is greatlyenlarged. Many ad vantagcs will readily suggest themselves to thoseskilled in the art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

l. In a secondary battery, a cylindrical vessel closed at top andbottom, metallic battery disks or plates arranged within the top andbottom ot said vessel and connected with the battery wires,a hydratedalkaline oxide within said cylinder in contact with one of said platesand an anhydrous metallic substance adjacent to the hydrated oxide andcontacting with the other metallic disk or plate, substantially as setforth.

2. In a secondary battery, a closed non-conduct-ing cylinder, metallicbattery plates arranged within the top and bottom ot said cylinder andconnected with the battery wires, separate strata ot hydrated alkalineoxide and anhydrous metallic substances diaphragmed from each other andconnected with opposite battery plates, and resistance coils surroundingsaid cylinder and in the circuit of said battery wires, substantially asset forth.

3. In a secondary battery, a closed non-conducting cylinder having topand bottom pertorations, top and bottom metallic battery plates providedwith projecting plugs fitting in said perforations and connected withthe battery wires, a horizontal screen diaphragm within said cylinder, ahydrated alkaline oxide placed on one side of said diaphragm andcontacting with one ot the battery plates, and an anhydrous metallicsubstance on the other side of said diaphragm and contacting with theother battery plate, substantially as set forth.

a. In a secondary battery, a closed non-conducting cylinder, batteryplates within thel top and bottom of said cylinder and connected withthe battery wires, separate strat-a of a hydrated alkaline oxide and ananhydrous metallic substance diaphragmcd from cach other and contactingwith opposite battery plates, and a series of separate and independentresistance coils surrounding the cylinder and in the circuit of thebattery wires, substantially as set forth.

5. In a secondary battery an air tight nonconducting cylinder having thetop and bottom annular ianges, the top and bottom battery plates andinterposed chemicals connected in circuit with the battery wires,separate and independent coils surrounding the IOO IIO

ance thereof, and an auxiliary swiieh con nected in circuit with themain switch and l5 the battery wires to regulate the current from thebattery to the coils, substantially as set t forth. l t In testimonythat I claim the foregoing my own Ihave hereto aflixed my signature inzo. x the presence of two witnesses. \\R

FRED OTTO NORTON.

lVitnesses:

CHARLES S. TOPPING, MARIA L. BosLEY.

